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post partum after almost 2 years since giving birth?

Hi everyone,

I am so happy to be part of the forum. One reason is because I do want to know some great answers to my personal questions. One thing that I have always wanted to know is regarding post partum. I do not really have a very wide idea of what the term really is, since I am not one from the medical field . Nonetheless, I want to know if after almost two years a woman can still be experiencing post partum. Having sleep disorders, a sudden feeling of sadness, low or no energy,becoming easily frustrated, sudden spells of anger towards others and even towards your own baby and many other symptoms could still be signs of this type of depression after a couple of years?

The term 'post partum' means 'after giving birth'. So 'post partum depression' refers to depression after giving birth (also called 'post natal depression'). In the majority of cases, the depression will begin from 4 weeks to a few months of giving birth. Can I ask when you started to feel down? In severe cases of post partum depression, it can continue for over a year.

The main difference between just having down or tired days and actually having post partum depression is that with depression you feel that you cannot escape/get out of your low feelings. Women can feel panicky and unable to cope. In some cases, women also feel suicidal or even have thoughts about harming their baby.

It is thought that around 1 in 6 women who have children suffer from post natal depression at some point. So, whilst it is not talked about that often, it is very common. The good news is that most women make a full recover from the depression. Have you seen your doctor or talked to a healthcare professional about your feelings? This is a good first step. Also, you mention sleep problems; the depression can be made worse by a lack of sleep. Perhaps we could help you with some ideas for this? What problems do you have with sleeping? How does your toddler sleep? There are also some excellent support groups out there for people who have suffered from post natal depression. It is also advisable to try and eat healthily and make sure you are eating enough when you are feeling this way.

Thinking of you,

Please do post back and let us know how you are feeling so we can support you further.

sleep disorders, a sudden feeling of sadness, low or no energy,becoming easily frustrated, sudden spells of anger towards others and even towards your own baby and many other symptoms

Everything you mentioned there can be caused by low adrenal function. Adrenal function is often compromised when the body experiences long periods of stress. Being pregnant puts stress on the body, giving birth is highly stressful (think of how much work it is), breastfeeding puts an added stress on the body (you're producing milk and providing nourishment for your child) and then add caring for 3 children, a possible difficult marriage or difficult relationships with others, and you have a recipe for Adrenal Fatigue.

Here are some very common symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue:

Dr. Wilson has an excellent quiz you can take which will help you figure out if you have mild, moderate or severe Adrenal Fatigue. I'd have to say that most everyone has some degree of Adrenal challenge simply because of the fast paced world we live in, where there are a lot of toxins in our food and environment, and we don't get enough relaxation. But what you describe seems more along the lines of moderate Adrenal Fatigue. I started getting this after my 3rd child was born. It was not diagnosed (sadly the doctor just said that everything I was experiencing was due to being a mum of 3 children) but later, after having 2 more children, my body showed much greater signs (severe Adrenal Fatigue) and another doctor finally diagnosed it properly. I was able to pull myself out of it, with the help of a nutritionist, but I really don't want you to get to the point where I was. I believe there are some really good things you can do now to help balance the hormones in your body which are causing the fatigue, lack of sleep, anger and sadness. All of these are extremely common when the Adrenals aren't functioning properly.

Many of these symptoms have other causes but adrenal fatigue is so prevalent that if you have even one of these symptoms your are likely run down.

Some things you can do right away is to change your diet so that you are eating healthier foods. People with adrenal fatigue find that their digestion is not very good, so eating steamed vegetables or vegetable soup starts the digestion process by breaking down the food, and the body can then assimilate the nutrients easier (as compared to eating raw vegetables).

Taking a high quality mineral or vitamin/mineral supplement is imperative. If your body is craving salt, eat it (unless you have high blood pressure, but with Adrenal Fatigue, the problem is usually low blood pressure). When the adrenals are compromised, your cells lose a lot of salt, so you need to replenish the salt regularly. Go completely off of sugar. If you want something sweet, eat a piece of fruit or have some unsweetened applesauce. Sugar compromises the immune system, and affects mood, so try to wean yourself off of sugar as soon as possible.

Here's an excellent video that shows you how the adrenals work and what happens when the adrenals don't function as they should:

Thank you so much for the information you gave. These are all appreciated and I am so relieved of what I have read.
The idea of seeking doctor's advice did cross my mind many times. However, I am a full time working mother and almost do not have enough time for even the very important things. I dedicated myself to my children that I often forget about taking care of myself. I did try to book for an appointment with our family doctor, bu I thought this feeling - the post partum thing - was not something I thought I would need to mind at all. I mean I thought that maybe a lot of women of my situation do feel the same way.

Thank you Ms Kate for taking time to show me all I need to know about adrenal fatigue.

It is important (though difficult, I know!) to give yourself time and care, whilst you are looking after young children. Your children will also benefit when you are in the best health possible.

Your doctor's job is to support you and your family in this. Post natal depression can stop women from functioning normally and enjoying their life and their children; your doctor can help you with this. You should not worry about troubling them.

Hello to you. Your advices and the information you shared with me all helped a lot. It has been a week since I have not posted in the forum (not so good news) yet I had a nice week spending time with my family away from work (a bit of good news for me though).

I actually did seek the help of a friend doctor. She had background in psychology and she also understood my situation. When she told me about relaxation and doing a less stressful activity with the family, I thought of getting a vacation this time of the year. She said that spending more time with family and less with work even just for some days of the week would help reduce stress.

It was not post partum though (another good news for me) because what I may call violent reactions is just stress-related. If it was, it would not be that alarming.

Anyway, the information you shared with me will by no means become useless but will be a source of help in case some of my mum friends experience the same feeling that i have.

Thanks for the wonderful update! Sounds like some "down time" and relaxation may be "just what the doctor ordered"

Here is a wonderful video that you can watch anytime you feel stressed or just want to relax. Take some deep breaths while watching, and try to relax every muscle in your body - your head, shoulders, arms, fingers, all the way down to your toes.

Relaxation can also keep you from getting sick, so make a point of doing this often. Less work and more play makes for a happy mum and family.

Oh - and feel free to snuggle up with your children while you watch relaxing videos like this. They can look at a book, or just watch the video, but the relaxation center of the brain will respond to the calming affects of the video and the whole family can experience a more relaxed state